How many different meals do you cook?

[meredithgrey1]

Not sure whether DH and I are unusual in this respect or not.
We have about 10 meals we rotate through but realistically probably 4 of those aren't done regularly so we generally eat the same six meals, with perhaps slight alterations.
This seems like a really low number to me - 6 regular meals, 4 less regular and a few very occasional meals that are done quite rarely. They are all home cooked which makes me feel a bit better but DD is 8 months and I'd like to have a bit more variety as she grows up. I am a decent cook, just can't be arsed thinking up different things so tend to revert to the same ones.
How many meals do other people cook on a regular basis?

Side note can anyone recommend a really good stir fry sauce that's simple? I've never every got to grips with stir fry because all the packets sauces are so sticky and sweet!

Where do you lot all get the time or energy to try new recipes constantly? I love food and enjoy cooking but by the time I get home from work and DD is in bed, I’m too knackered and hungry to get my chef on.

It changes with the season, but at the moment, we’re basically having variations on pasta, roast chicken, chicken and noodle stir fry, sausages and baked potatoes.

@somethingnasty i only cook meals during the week that take 20-30 mins max during the week. We all eat together so dont have to start cooking when children are in bed - that would be a nightmare.

I'd also like to make a stir fry sauce.

I was about to post that we eat the same things over and over, but I thought I’d make a list to help me change that. It’s a long list! When I was sharing a house at uni we took turns to cook, and picked a new meal every week from our cookbooks. I am guilty of cooking the same (quick) meals without thinking too much, and tend to stick to the same sides out of habit. DH is contracting his list of approved edibles, but when I do something different, he usually agrees he likes it about halfway through. It can be a battle, though. Lots of “I don’t like salad/curry/hot/grass/noodles/rice”!

Meals
Roast chicken with stuffing, winter veg and roast potatoes
Roast lemon n celery chicken/partridge with cous cous cous and salads
Roast lamb with cheesy leeks n roast potatoes
Roast beef with Yorkshires, cauliflower cheese, parsnips
Pigeon with braised onion & chicory
Roast duck with baked potato pancakes and broccoli
Confit duck legs with red cabbage
Roast celeriac
Roast partridge with hedge jam and bacon, usually with mash and roast carrots
Gammon, usually with cheese sauce and jackets, and green veg

Bubble n squeak, with fried haslet if I have other plans for the cold meat

Baked fish (various) with green veg and parminter potatoes or sometimes potato gratin
Smoked haddock with fried potatoes and fennel
Freezer fish (fingers, cakes or pre battered) with mushy peas and usually chips
Moules - garlic is my vote, but sometimes tomato. Usually with a baguette but occasionally DH requests fries

Casseroles;
Chicken with tomato, olives and onions
Pork with apples, cream and sometimes mustard
Pork with beans
Sausage with tomatoes and beans
Sausage with carrot, celery, pork stock
Sometimes mash, sometimes baked potatoes, sometimes bread, occasionally roast potatoes or rice.

Lancashire hotpot (lamb, onions, carrots, lamb stock with potatoes on top and sometimes potato Boulanger)

Beef stew and dumplings
Beef bourguigon and fries

Shepherds pie
Delicious Indian spiced shepherds pie thing with chunks of potato on top
Cottage pie
Chicken creamy pie (mash topped)
Vegetable pasties
Chicken n veg pie (pastry topped)

Lamb chops with roast potatoes/chips mostly with green veg or tinned marrow fat peas

Fried pork/saltimbocca with new/fried potatoes and green veg

Moroccan style chickpea/chicken/lamb meatballs thing with cous cous

Curries;
Thai red/green
Pad Thai
Chicken/paneer/egg with a jar of curry sauce - various flavours - and basmati/naan(part baked)/Dhal

Veg stir fries, sometimes do as a side to a Chinese style meal or if I have a cold bit of roast meat on a Monday
Chicken and mushroom teriyaki dish, often with noodles and freezer side dish (dumplings/veg spring rolls)

Pasta;
Spag Bol (lasagne feels like too much faff)
Lamb ragu with tagliatelle
Carbonara
Pasta bakes in various flavours
Pasta pesto with roasted tomatoes

Risotto with whatever is in the cupboard/Aldi veg of the week

Cooked breakfast
Gammon steak/ham egg and chips usually with peas or tinned tomatoes

Chicken Nuggets, chips n beans
Cauliflower cheese grills with ratatouille
Pizza (usually from freezer)

Turkey & chorizo mince BBQ pineapple creation
Fajitas with various meat/veg
BBQ turkey steaks with roast potatoes and peppers

Cold meats and cheese board with pickles

Quiche (think I have made 2, ever) or frittata (very rarely bought) with jacket potatoes and salads

I'm not going to list them all as that would be too boring for everyone but I reckon I can make 60 decent main meals off the top of my head. And am also happy to look up recipes for occasional treats.

Oh dear I seem to live on home made soups in winter with lots of garlic and ginger added...roast chicken. Fish curries...I follow a sort of Chinese winter food plan hence the soups made with root vegetables and no cold foods as they encourage damp and wind damp into the system..

Probably around 50 different meals over the course of a couple of months.
I have around 100 cookery books so occasionally I'll try something new.

I have them all written down to meal plan. There's about 85 on there although that includes freezer fish & chips etc! Some I hardly ever make. They've nearly all been on that list for years though - I wonder if the list will ever radically change? (unlikely!)

OP what about something like pasta, pesto, bacon, onions, mushrooms and peas? really easy but tasty.

btw my favourite sauce for stir-fries is:

Heat some oil in a pan and fry finely-chopped ginger, garlic and red chilli.

Add the zest and juice of one lime and pour in 4-5 tbsps dark soy sauce. Add 2 tbsps maple syrup and cook for 1 minute or until reduced and sticky. (I usually just leave it on low heat while I cook noodles, veg, and grill some salmon).

MummyShah369

^^

I'll be round tomorrow at 6pm

Here's my tuppence worth :

Tonight we had pasta bake (bolognaise, cream, macaroni, topped with mozzarella)
Chicken, lentil and veg casserole
Sweet potato and lentil soup
Ham, red onion, red Pepper and potato quiche
Fajitas
We eat a lot of meat and 2 veg meals : sausage, mash and peas, roast chicken, roast spuds, carrots etc.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/summer-winter-chicken

^
This is amazing. Very versatile, works with mash, garlic bread, roast veg etc. I make double quantities and eat it for lunch.

The meals I remember cooking this winter are

-Cauliflower and chickpea curry with rice and raita
-Breaded cod with tarragon sauce and leeks

• Lamb chops with red wine and rosemary sauce and roasted parsnips
• Leek, mushroom and goats cheese pie
• Chilli sin Carne with tortillas and cheddar and sour cream
• Vegetable soup
• Homemade tzatziki, pita bread, roasted pepper, salad, cheese
• Mushroom risotto
• Pork ribs and roasted potatoes and carrots
• Cumin lime and coriander kidney bean burgers with salad

-Veal in cream with mashed potato and parsnip

• Cabbage and smoked sausage stew
• Tomato pasta
• Tofu stir-fry
• Asparagus omelet
• Pot au Feu (beef stew with veg)
• Spag bol (ground mushrooms instead of mince)
• Dhal and naan
• Thai Chicken green curry soup
• Cauliflower cheese and veg
• Roast endives and tofu and mushroom sausages
• Gravlax and quinoa salad with endives and oranges
• Celeriac gratin and roast chestnuts
• Oeuf cocotte with paprika bacon and mushrooms
• Ricotta almond and spinach lasagne
• Salmon and tarragon cream spaghetti

I do cook quite a bit - but I also tend to make triple batches of any recipie that takes more than half and hour to cook and I freeze the other two portions. I eat out about twice a week. but tend to eat dofferent things the whole time so I think my number of meals is approx (365 - (52x2))/3 = 87 ish ...

@lynsey91

Would you share your cauliflower soufflé recipe, please ? thankyou !

by the time I get home from work and DD is in bed, I’m too knackered and hungry to get my chef on.

One of us picks DC up at 6 and then we try to get the meal on the table in half an hour, which adds another challenge to eating a varied healthy diet. We also cook vegetarian at home, so many convenience foods are out.
There are many dishes you can prep in advance though the previous evening, so it's just baking/roasting/mixing etc to do. There are also many cookbooks with 15-20-30 min meals (the dishes always take longer the first time when you need to check the ingredients and steps, but you will get faster).

@KatharinaRosalie Our problem is that I don’t get home from work until 7-7.30, which is mid-DD bedtime. DP is looking after her from the end of school until I get home, during which time it’s impossible to cook (DD has severe SN and needs to be watched every second). On my non-working days, I try to get something going in the Instant Pot before collecting DD from school.
Once we’re finally fed, it’s late and we have zero energy for prepping anything for the next day.
Hence a very predictable rotation of old standbys!

I go through phases of what I cook a lot of - last winter loads of different stews, the previous winter I used my slow cooker a fair bit but have only used it once this winter.

I've also had a phase of cooking Simply Cook recipes which expanded my repertoire.

Recently I've been making a different chicken curry recipe each week and also cooking more prawn recipes. Also doing a lot of tray bake or one pot recipes.

I enjoy meal planning with DH and getting out the recipe books. Once the meals are planned ahead it takes less mental energy to actually cook them after work although still definitely takes a bit more effort to make something new for the first time.